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"Halfway to David Lane, I saw a shadow on the track, then I saw the shape of the shadow.

"I put on the brake and then the emergency brake when I realised. I was not sure what it was, something big on the tracks. As I got close, I knew this is a person," he said.

After the impact, Mr Blackburn went to try and help Mr Rothwell. He then asked if any passengers were medically trained before alerting control.

Assistant coroner Jane Gillespie asked if he felt the incident could have been avoided. He replied: "No, I don't think there is anything else I could have done."

Mr Rothwell was lying face down inside the tracks. His dark boots were facing the tram. He died from multiple injuries and tests showed his alcohol level was so high it could have killed someone not used to it.

Control room worker Gary Tomlinson said he would have told the driver to reduce speed to 10 or 20 kmph if it was feared someone was on the line.

"If he was a danger, we would have stopped him," said Mr Tomlinson, who felt information sent via radio could have been better. "It is one of my biggest regrets," he said.

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Police constable Darren Mewis said Mr Rothwell was seen to be "unsteady" and holding onto a stanchion beside the line. He then "vanished" into the darkness and was not seen again until moments before his death.

The tram driver had a fraction over two seconds to react. Mr Mewis said: "Mr Blackburn could not have taken any action to avoid that collision."

The coroner will deliver a verdict on Wednesday (June 29) on Mr Rothwell, of Bestwood Park, who died on August 15 last year.

In a statement, his mother Susan Saville said he was "a very bright and quiet child, sensitive and always caring."

She knew he had a drink problem as an adult. They met a fortnight before his death and Mrs Saville said: "We had a good time together. He was the Pete I knew and loved."